Benefits of Meditation

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By Ron Cort, Senior Consultant at MCG Partners

Archeologists and scholars believe the origins of meditation date back well over 5,000 years. Possibly originating in hunter-gatherer tribes as they realized an altered state of consciousness while staring at the flames of their campfires.

The earliest known records of the practice of meditation originated in India around 1,500 BC. But it wasn’t until sometime around 500 BC that Siddhartha Gautama realized enlightenment while sitting beneath the Bodhi tree and became Buddha, that meditation became more widespread in the East.

Fast forward to the 1920’s when meditation was introduced in the West by Paramahansa Yogananda, through his book "Autobiography of a Yogi" and a series of lectures, met with a great deal of interest, spanning the USA. It was then that he founded the Self-Realization Fellowship, "to disseminate his teachings worldwide... on the yoga science of meditation, the art of balanced living, and the underlying unity of all great religions. Today his unique and far-reaching spiritual legacy lives on, inspiring millions of truth-seekers all over the world".

So, what is mediation and what are its benefits?

Wikipedia: "The term meditation refers to a broad variety of practices that includes techniques designed to promote relaxation, build internal energy or life force (qi, ki, prana, etc.) and develop compassion, love, patience, generosity, and forgiveness."

Whether done for minutes, hours or days, chanting or silent; by sages and monks or ordinary people; meditation has found a place in all walks of life, most recently, even in schools and business organizations alike.

In San Francisco, a Transcendental Meditation program introduced in several schools called Quiet Time has shown remarkable improvements in student testing, attendance, grade point averages and happiness. Other studies have shown mindfulness education programs in schools have improved students self control, attentiveness and respect for other classmates.

Some of today’s most successful business leaders have embraced meditation and credit a good deal of their individual success to its daily practice. Both research and workplace experience seem to confirm that mediation builds resilience, boosts emotional intelligence, enhances creativity and improves relationships and focus¹.

Many companies have introduced meditation as an integral part of their company cultures. As a whole they believe daily meditation reduces stress, improves clarity and focus, fosters creative thinking and productivity and even has an impact on physical health and wellbeing². Google puts all of their employees through a mindfulness training course they call "SIY-Search Inside Yourself, developed by Google’s "Jolly Good Fellow" Chade Meng Tan, among others. By some accounts it can be a life changing experience³.

It’s not surprising that scientific research has shown the practice of meditation actually changes the physical structure of the brain ⁴.

No wonder meditation has survived for thousands of years and continues to grow in popularity. When business leaders, celebrities, modern day Buddha’s like the Dhali Llama⁵ and regular people like you and me, make it a daily habit and feel its benefits, there is no doubt meditation is a practice worthy of its storied history.

About MCG Partners: Passion. People. Performance.

MCG Partners is a Greater Boston-based consultancy specializing in executive coaching, leadership development, talent management and organizational development solutions. MCG Partners is also a Predictive Index^® (PI^®)certified partner.

Career Advisors, a subsidiary of MCG Partners, offers outplacement and career management services for organizations and individuals.

For more information, contact ryen.mcginn@mcgpartners.net or call (508) 279-0400.

1.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/05/business-meditation-executives-meditate_n_3528731.html

2. http://www.chopra.com/ccl/5-ways-meditation-can-benefit-businesses

3.http://www.mindful.org/search-inside-yourself/

4.https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-new-resilience/201502/how-meditation-changes-the-structure-your-brain

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